Seasons Greetings!

Our dear friends, it is with gratitude and joyous spirits that we wrap up 2016, driving into a new year. But before we share our exciting plans for 2017, let’s fall back to share what’s transpired in the past few months.

Artistic Director, Sheron Wray directed and choreographed the production
Muhammad Ali and Me

The production was originally produced in 2008, and was restaged to tour this year, which coincides with Muhammad Ali’s death in June 2016.
Here is a fun trailer of the production.

The tour premiered at The Albany, London, 6 – 15 October  | Press performance, 6 October, 7:30pm.

Following the Albany run, Muhammad Ali and Me goes on a nationwide tour of boxing gyms. The tour culminates in North West England in a special tour within-the-tour produced in association with idle women, the Lancashire-based organisation who create contemporary art with women. The tour will go to St Helens, Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley playing in boxing gyms, two of which are located in vast abandoned mills. idle women recently hosted a residency for Adebayo onboard the Selina Cooper, their floating arts centre on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal during which she attended a nearby boxing gym, learning Ali’s ‘moves’ from the UK’s only professional female boxing trainer.

Sheron Wray choreographed for a new musical, Something Inside Me So Strong  that opened The Arcola Theatre, September 6-8th.

Uplifting, surprising and witty, Something Inside So Strong is a bold new musical based on the songs of singer, songwriter and poet Labi Siffre.
Check out some of the young cast in rehearsal.

Sheron completed her PhD, confirmed December 8, 2016, from the University of Surrey. Dr Wray’s degree was awarded by the University of Surrey, U.K, with her research  supported by the U.K Arts and Humanities Research Council. The subject of her research was improvisation, manifest as Embodiology – her improvisation-as-performance method. She has already begun disseminating this praxis through the work of JazzXchange, The Martha Graham School and also through interdisciplinary research with UCI medical doctors and business school. Improvisation is a key to making one’s creative tangible in such ways that life can incrementally change and new possibilities can abound. Look out for more Embodiology workshops soon.

Check out this TEDx talk by Sheron Wray.

JazzXchange presented a new work, Sacred Matters, choreographed by Shining Stars co-founder, Irishia Hubbard. The piece was selected to perform in the BlakTina Festival at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles on September 15-17th. Check out our first review! 
Shining Stars

We are also very excited to announce that JazzXchange has officially adopted Shining Stars as part of our core programming for youth engagement. JazzXchange is cultivating a relationship with the non-profit, OCCTAC with plans to start regular Shining Stars classes at their location in Santa Ana in 2017.

A word from the Shining Stars’ co-founders…

“2 years ago myself and partner Nicole Rivor had a vision to create an opportunity for low-income children to enhance their dance training experience. We wanted to ensure that these children had equal opportunities to achieve their dreams in dance and also promote the importance of higher education. With the guidance of Sheron Wray & JazzXchange we have been able to hold two successful summer programs and now we are able to continue sharing our love of dance with this amazing organization. Thank you JazzXchange for adopting us into your organization. We are honored and humbled.”
– Irishia Hubbard, Co-Founder & Artistic Director

“I am incredibly excited and honored for Shining Stars to be a part of JazzXchange’s youth outreach program. With JazzXchange’s strong foundation in the community, Shining Stars will have access to more tools and resources that will enable us to continue to empower the underserved youth of Orange County through our dance education programs. Be on the lookout for our upcoming satellite program at OCCTAC in Santa Ana and our annual summer dance program at UC Irvine!”
– Nicole Rivor, Co-Founder & Administrator

As Shining Stars we engage children to think more deeply and even critically about issues in dance through discussions of body image, improvisation, and the various cultures of dance the world has to offer. We build long-lasting friendships across the community by giving participants a common connection: a love for dance. Our goal is to provide a unique dance experience that challenges children, and positively impacts them physically, mentally, and emotionally.

JazzXchange dancer David Lee is choreographing a new piece to be premiered in Spring  2017.

Monthly Music and Dance Workshops with Joey Sellers starting in January. He has several performance events coming up this holiday season and into the new year!

Look forward to our contribution to the nations Jazz Appreciation Month celebration in April. We look forward to working with Darina Littleton, Jannet Galdamez, Ron Kobayashi, Joey Sellers and Dylan Romaine. Look out for events at The Packing House, UCI and  Cooks Chapel.

Three of JazzXchange’s core leaders will be attending the Urban Bush Women summer program in New York summer of 2017. We invite you to become an honorary Xchange Agent by helping us reach the goal of $10,000 to send Irishia, Nicole and Noelle to New York for this empowering experience.

                              Irishia Hubbard                                 Nicole Rivor                                      Noelle White

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Please make checks payable to:
JazzXchange
1007 Gabrielino Dr
Irvine, CA 92617